Buying a well-fitted shoe is quite a hectic process, before this process, you just need to know what type of feet you have, wide or narrow.
No worries, By doing some simple tests, you can understand your foot shape and size. In this article, you will find all the answers with some examination tips that I follow to determine my foot width.
So, dig into it!
How Do You Know if You Have Wide or Regular Feet?
Finding a perfect pair according to your feet size is mandatory. And it not only depends on the foot length but also the foot width. If you feel extra stiff in your toe or forefoot portion yet lengthwise you wear the right size shoe, maybe you have wide feet.
Generally, you can differentiate the foot width into three categories, that are, narrow, regular, and wide feet.
To determine the exact size, you should measure your foot as early as possible. Otherwise, improperly fitted shoes offer blisters and soreness in your toe area.
Luckily, you will find many other footwear lines that often produced their shoe range for wide feet people. For example, Vans come in wide sizes, including their regular models.
What is Considered Wide Feet?
For example, if you wear US women’s size 6 and your foot width is more than 3.31 inches (8.41 cm), you have wide feet. Also, if your scale shows 3.7 inches (ca. 9 cm) or more, then you have extra wide feet. And for the wide feet size, shoe manufacturers consider C or D number.
By determining your foot width, you can understand if you have wide or regular feet. You can get an absolute answer after measuring your foot size.
Sometimes, you can find an E mark that size is for those who have extra wide feet.
In recent days, brands are to produce width-size shoes for broad feet people. Yet, if you are still looking for the exact match for wide feet, you should pick a size bigger shoe for your desired fitness.
You will also find some shoes that are naturally adjusted with your wide feet. Like, Converse are good for wide feet, besides they produce width line for those customers who have extra large feet.
Wide Foot Size Chart
For better understanding, I’ll share both men’s and women’s width size charts, which may help you in deciding your perfect pair.
Women’s Width Size Chart
| Size | A (narrow) | B(medium) | C/D (wide) | E (extra wide) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 2.8" | 3.2" | 3.55" | 3.95" |
| 6 | 2.95" | 3.3" | 3.7" | 4.05" |
| 7 | 3.05" | 3.45" | 3.8" | 4.2" |
| 8 | 3.2" | 3.55" | 3.95" | 4.3" |
| 9 | 3.3" | 3.7" | 4.05" | 4.45" |
| 10 | 3.45" | 3.8" | 4.2" | 4.55" |
| 11 | 3.55" | 3.95" | 4.3" | 4.7" |
| 12 | 3.7" | 4.05" | 4.45" | 4.8" |
Men’s Width Size Cart
| Size | C (narrow) | D (medium) | E (wide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 3.2" | 3.4" | 3.6" |
| 6 | 3.3" | 3.5" | 3.7" |
| 7 | 3.4" | 3.6" | 3.8" |
| 8 | 3.5" | 3.8" | 3.9" |
| 9 | 3.6" | 3.9" | 4.1" |
| 10 | 3.8" | 4.0" | 4.2" |
| 11 | 3.9" | 4.1" | 4.3" |
| 12 | 4.0" | 4.3" | 4.4" |
If you take my example, my foot width is 3.68 inches (9.35 cm) and I usually wear women’s 7 D size. I love to wear little loose-fitted shoes and wide lines offer me the desired fittings.
How Can You Measure Foot Width?
If you feel extra pressure in your forefoot from your shoes, you may have a wide foot and your toe area is extra width.
But you can clear the confusion and get a result, you have to measure your foot width span. And now I’m sharing a simple yet effective technique with you for completing this measurement procedure.
Check out the process to measure your foot width:
- Place a white piece of paper, on a hard and even surface.
- Put your both foot individually on the paper.
- Draw an outline by using a sharp pencil.
- Finally, you have to measure the distance between the widest portion of your foot.
- To complete this calculation, you can use a measuring tape or scale.
This is the most popular and efficient way to measure foot size. Also, you can measure your shoe size and foot length by following the same steps.
What Causes Wide Feet?
I would say, 50% of American adults have wide or extra-width feet. And it’s not a temporary issue. Wide feet are a natural and permanent feet size.
However, after elaborate research, you can find some causes that play a vital role to make your feet wide.
Let’s find out the causes of wide feet:
Age– As much as we grow, our feet also grow and tend to be large. Due to heavy pressure, our foot ligaments & tendons become loose and our foot alignment expands.
Pregnancy– Foot widening is a most common issue in your pregnancy period. During pregnancy, foot ligaments loosen for a hormone called relaxin.
Foot deformities– Blister, bunion, tendons, etc are known as foot deformities. Sometimes our foot tends to be broad for those deformities.
Swelling– When we search for the causes of feet widening, the most popular reason is Edema, Also known as swelling.
These are the main causes of wide feet that can happen due to foot structure and situation.
Above all, the main reason behind wide feet is genetics.
Final Thought
Simply, you can determine if you have wide feet or not, after measuring your feet width.
I hope you already got your answer with the measurement process and justification. If still you have other questions about your wide feet, let me know through the below box.
Take care!
